The “Sex With An X” album is a far cut above your typical reunion album. First of all, Eugene and Frances sound like they just shuffled over to 2010 with every bit of pop and harmonic and sardonic lyric-writing capacity intact from their previous lives. It’s a natural follow up to 1989’s “Dum-Dum” – just not quite at that level across the board. There are a few ringers for sure, like the title track I’m posting for you here. The album is steeped in faux sexual tension and a general sneering condescension toward the past (most notably in the song “I Hate The 80s”), all wrapped in a happy, smiling bow. Really, is there a more uplifting and distinctive voice than Frances McKee’s? She defines Scottish pop for me, and hey, you might as well give her and “Eugenius” credit for the Year That Punk Broke, since they wrote the template for Nirvana and all. I’m a fan of “Sex With An X” and reckon it needs a few more listeners than I perceive it to have received upon its release 16 months ago.
Download THE VASELINES – “Sex With An X” (the song)